I was reading in another post about how we need a good back up QB in the draft, at first I thought it was crazy. However, after giving it some thought, I'm starting to think Ben's career will be cut short due to the beating he takes, he already isnt absorbing hits like he used to. I know we cant really judge him on this season with the major injury, but damn, what if he declines fast, we better have someone all nice in polished up within 3 years. I just don't see Ben being one of those guys that plays till hes 38 years old, I could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me if he isn't worth his weight in salt by the time hes 34.

He takes a beating almost as bad as some running backs, thats why they all decline so early. I dont know though. what you guys think? I Still think a top notch RB should be out #1 pick this year especially because theres no one that looks to be THAT great that will be available, especially someone that good that is going to wanna be a back up for an undetermined amount of time,but I think the steelers should be proactive about replacing ben just in case he plays like he did the second half of this season. I really think we need a better back up NOW, but we need to have our eyes out for a SUCCESSOR, for when Benss out of steam, which may be sooner than we think. The guy just doesn't look that healthy, frankly hes fat.

jdehoff83

01-03-2013, 11:01 AM

5 yrs top unless he learns to throw ball away... but this is ben and thats just not his cup of tea

Crash

01-03-2013, 11:08 AM

4 if they stay out of his way, and allow whomever the OC is (That includes Haley) to use Ben and this offense to their full potential and not obsess with reliving the past.

Crash

01-03-2013, 11:09 AM

A top notch RB does not matter if he's lined up 8 1/2 yards behind the LOS on 2nd and 1.

By the time he gets to the line any hole that was open will already be closed.

Big T

01-03-2013, 11:16 AM

At least 5 years

BlaZeQuietly

01-03-2013, 11:30 AM

So it sounds like we all pretty much agree ben will have a relatively short career for a QB, he may already be past his prime. He just can't stay healthy, it doesn't matter how good he would be if he did stay healthy, because he never does. Big Ben has been my favorite player for years now and it's kinda sad to see that he could be done by the time hes 35, while manning is out there on the superbowl favorites just tearin **** up at 37 and could realistically play until hes 40 like farve. ( still remember seeing the hit that finally knocked Farve out for good, it was someone on the bills that's all I can remember lol.

BlaZeQuietly

01-03-2013, 11:33 AM

A top notch RB does not matter if he's lined up 8 1/2 yards behind the LOS on 2nd and 1.

By the time he gets to the line any hole that was open will already be closed.

I do agree with that, we need to address both, bottom line is none of our current running backs would be much better behind the best offensive line in football, they all just suck. Delcastro will be back hopefully he will live up to all his hype, if he doesnt slip in the shower and miss the whole season like he did this year.

Crash

01-03-2013, 11:53 AM

Past his prime?

LatrobePA

01-03-2013, 11:59 AM

Not many!

BlaZeQuietly

01-03-2013, 12:00 PM

Past his prime?

yeah I don't think I st-st-st-st-stuttered did I? Hes getting hurt more, hes missing more games, hes healing slower, hes not as mobile and hes fat, so yeah maybe he is past his prime.

steelchamp204

01-03-2013, 12:11 PM

4 more years

BlaZeQuietly

01-03-2013, 12:19 PM

1368

Maybe he and Obama can have a retirement party together.

LatrobePA

01-03-2013, 12:23 PM

yeah I don't think I st-st-st-st-stuttered did I? Hes getting hurt more, hes missing more games, hes healing slower, hes not as mobile and hes fat, so yeah maybe he is past his prime.

Ba, ba, ba, ba, bingo..

Big T

01-03-2013, 02:28 PM

Not as mobile? You must not have watched games before his injury. He's just as mobile as ever. Even after the injury, that play against the Cowboys was quintessential Ben Roethlisberger. People have such short memories around here. It amazes me. Ben isn't anywhere close to being done. A couple bad games after a serious injury, in a season where he was a legitmate MVP candidate before the injury, and now the dude is old, fat and washed up. I don't know about anyone else but does no one remember 2009 or even 2010? Ben was fat as ****. I said on multiple occasions how he looks like he's lost weight. But hey, this is all coming from a guy who thinks Alex Smith would be a better option, so I guess nothing he says should be taken seriously.

Crash

01-03-2013, 02:55 PM

Fat? He hasn't been overweight since 2009.

Do you mouth-breathers even watch?

Nolrog

01-03-2013, 03:09 PM

yeah I don't think I st-st-st-st-stuttered did I?

You don't have to be a jerk about it.

Goodfrom55

01-03-2013, 03:12 PM

He's 31 now, I say 6-8 more years.

LatrobePA

01-03-2013, 04:52 PM

He's 31 now, I say 6-8 more years.

With all due respect, the guy can barely make it through a single season. I see 2 years max.

Big T

01-03-2013, 05:02 PM

With all due respect, the guy can barely make it through a single season. I see 2 years max.

With all due respect, that's ridiculous...

LatrobePA

01-03-2013, 05:06 PM

[QUOTE=Big T;532716]With all due respect, that's ridiculous...[/QUOTE

Really??

Doesn't mean I want him gone! The fn guy gets the **** kicked out of him year in and year out!

Goodfrom55

01-03-2013, 05:10 PM

I suppose I am counting on the line improving over the next couple season as some of these high draft picks round into form.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 6-8 years.

LatrobePA

01-03-2013, 05:15 PM

I suppose I am counting on the line improving over the next couple season as some of these high draft picks round into form.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 6-8 years.

I'd love to see him here that long. I just can't see him playing at a high level that long taking a beating like he does each year.

Big T

01-03-2013, 05:25 PM

I understand Ben gets his *** kicked. That's fine. But 2 years? Before his injury he was playing the best football of his career. Now he's only gonna play for 2 more years? Come on now. It would be one thing if his injuries over the years were severe, but he's never had a season-ending/career threatening type injury. Sure this rib thing was serious, but it was a short term issue. He's always been banged up and always plays at a high level. Ben is as tough as they come. He'll be around for a while. Like I said before, I see at the very least, 5 years.

This is prior to this season:

In his career, Roethlisberger has missed 14 total starts: six for injuries, four for suspension, two for late-season rest, and the first two games of his career before he stepped in as the permanent starter.

Surprisingly enough, you know who gets beat up more than Ben? Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was sacked over 50 times this season. Perhaps I have a biased stance, but I tend to think that Ben is just built differently than most QB's and is able to absorb more punishment. Front office must understand that getting a REAL RB in here would certainly help prolong Ben's career. Look at Elway once Terrell Davis established himself as an elite RB. It bought Elway about 3 more years than we all thought he had because he didn't have to do everything himself and the defense had to respect the running game which slows down the pass rush.

That elite RB is not likely on the Steelers roster at this point, although I think Mendenhall would be pretty special if he took his head out of his a$$ once in a while to breathe.

polamalu43

01-03-2013, 07:40 PM

I am banking on 5 years...........I think we consider a QB each year depending on who is available when we pick. Would have been nice to get Kirk Cousins last year.

Anybody have an idea of a mid round QB option this year?

LatrobePA

01-03-2013, 07:44 PM

I understand Ben gets his *** kicked. That's fine. But 2 years? Before his injury he was playing the best football of his career. Now he's only gonna play for 2 more years? Come on now. It would be one thing if his injuries over the years were severe, but he's never had a season-ending/career threatening type injury. Sure this rib thing was serious, but it was a short term issue. He's always been banged up and always plays at a high level. Ben is as tough as they come. He'll be around for a while. Like I said before, I see at the very least, 5 years.

He's one torn up shoulder away from retirement. When he's done with football he'll be held together by scar tissue! I'm serious man, he's gotta learn to stay clean the older her gets.

jdehoff83

01-03-2013, 08:19 PM

Im sticking with 5 yrs like i said b4 i think hes capable of playing longer but it wouldnt be at a very high level and sooner or later you have to give someone else the job for the future and find that franchise qb... besides he might wanna hang it up for personal reasons not related to his game like family

SnakeEyes43

01-03-2013, 10:23 PM

A couple bad games after a serious injury, in a season where he was a legitmate MVP candidate before the injury, and now the dude is old, fat and washed up. I don't know about anyone else but does no one remember 2009 or even 2010? Ben was fat as ****. I said on multiple occasions how he looks like he's lost weight.

I love Big Ben, but he is fat. I agree with four years.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/travel/files/2012/09/ben-495x329.jpg

DIESELMAN

01-03-2013, 10:43 PM

Ben will be in his 10th year next season. He will be 31 in a couple of months. Ben has played in 127 games and taken 344 sacks (that's not counting all the hits he has taken), that's almost 3 per game. He won't change his style of play, that's the only way he knows to play the game. I give him 3-5 years, those hits are taking its toll and 1 day in the not too distant future, we will be remembering when he first came into the league. Time flies by too damn quick......

But yeah I noticed his belly wasn't as big this year. He could still be in better shape. Kind of looks sloppy at times, physically anyway, but still love the guy.

Big T

01-03-2013, 11:02 PM

Hey now, I'm not saying he's a 98 lb Victoria's Secret model. I'm just saying he's lost a good amount of weight recently. Outside of his rookie year, he's always had a double chin lol.

Crash

01-03-2013, 11:13 PM

He has plates in his face you dummies.

Big T

01-03-2013, 11:13 PM

That too lol

Crash

01-03-2013, 11:15 PM

2009 he was big.

But not since.

Big T

01-03-2013, 11:50 PM

2009 he was big.

But not since.

We all know the rape **** was bullshit, but he certainly looked the part lol.

steelchamp204

01-04-2013, 04:15 AM

Bout time he cut that fuggin looking hair also.

BlaZeQuietly

01-04-2013, 03:02 PM

Ben was really fat last season I thought. He came in to league in great shape but just seems to be ballooning as he ages and his metabolism slows down. He will always be remembered as one of my favorite to play the game, and I have a feeling he will end his career right in pittsburgh, where it started when hes 35-36. Ben has always just been on the other side of the "elite" tag Peyton, Brady, Rogers and Breese are the best Ben and Eli can battle for the fifth spot but neither are elite because neither are consistent enough to be elite.

ChucktownSteeler

01-10-2013, 07:13 AM

5-6 years.

DBR96A

01-10-2013, 07:26 AM

Tell John Elway, Randall Cunningham, Rich Gannon and Drew Brees that they were past their primes at age 30. For that matter, tell Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Ben has five or six years left, which would be 14 or 15 seasons in the league. That's not below average.

Stone

01-10-2013, 08:14 AM

So it sounds like we all pretty much agree ben will have a relatively short career for a QB, he may already be past his prime. He just can't stay healthy, it doesn't matter how good he would be if he did stay healthy, because he never does. Big Ben has been my favorite player for years now and it's kinda sad to see that he could be done by the time hes 35, while manning is out there on the superbowl favorites just tearin **** up at 37 and could realistically play until hes 40 like farve. ( still remember seeing the hit that finally knocked Farve out for good, it was someone on the bills that's all I can remember lol.

Not sure I agree here. Ben was MVP-like through 3/4 of the season and if I remember correctly this shoulder injury was lingering long before that. If he get's this fixed and our OC goes shopping for a clue in the off season, I could see Ben being very effective for another 5 years.

DBR96A

01-10-2013, 09:14 AM

So it sounds like we all pretty much agree ben will have a relatively short career for a QB...

This just goes to show you how badly many Steeler fans lack perspective, when 14 or 15 seasons is considered a "relatively short career."

DBR96A

01-10-2013, 09:19 AM

Rodgers was sacked over 50 times this season.

Clearly, Aaron Rodgers is a dumb QB who can't read defenses.

BlitzburghRockCity

01-10-2013, 10:41 AM

Rodgers and Ben are the best QB's in the NFL at dealing with sacks. They can take a hit and just keep on playing. With Ben entering his 9th season and the beating he's taken along with the off field issues that plagued him a few years ago I'd be hardpressed to think he makes it past 12 years in the league. Who knows what the offense will look like in 2013 and beyond but Ben will always be Ben.

steelchamp204

01-10-2013, 10:58 AM

Im going with 13 season, which he will retire at 35. The motorcycle accident didnt help, all the season where he was sacked 50+ times, the hits he took after the release of he ball after he made a play, his foot/ankles/knee. 35 tops.

Real Deal Steel

01-10-2013, 11:17 AM

Rodgers and Ben are the best QB's in the NFL at dealing with sacks. They can take a hit and just keep on playing. With Ben entering his 9th season and the beating he's taken along with the off field issues that plagued him a few years ago I'd be hardpressed to think he makes it past 12 years in the league. Who knows what the offense will look like in 2013 and beyond but Ben will always be Ben.

And that's the problem in a nutshell.."Ben will always be Ben" and not get the ball out of his hands. After the third read, if it's not there, throw the ball away!!! You would think all the injuries would tell him that maybe I should alter what I do a little bit and learn to throw the ball away and live to play another play.

Crash

01-10-2013, 11:24 AM

And like I said, the minute he starts chucking the ball away from the pocket to avoid sacks people will start bitching.

You want Ben to be safe? Then Haley or whomever the OC is needs to adapt as well.

That means no more Heath Miller in the backfield on 3rd and 4 running 8 yards to gain 4.

Too slow to develop, especially when the check down was blocking.

That's the reason he got crunched, that's the reason he got hurt.

Big T

01-10-2013, 01:09 PM

Im going with 13 season, which he will retire at 35. The motorcycle accident didnt help, all the season where he was sacked 50+ times, the hits he took after the release of he ball after he made a play, his foot/ankles/knee. 35 tops.

Surprisingly, Ben has never been sacked more than 50 times and has only been sacked 50 times once (09-10)

Jillsguy1213

01-10-2013, 02:53 PM

I truly am concerned about Ben's health and longevity-particularly with the absence of a quality offensive line.

steelchamp204

01-10-2013, 03:11 PM

Surprisingly, Ben has never been sacked more than 50 times and has only been sacked 50 times once (09-10)

Sorry T, it just seems he has been sacked that many time in multiple seasons. I believe he has had some 40+ seasons, correct me if Im wrong. Don't really feel like looking it up atm.

He tied Aaron Rodgers for most sacks taken in 2009. He hasn't led in that category any other season. (On the other hand, Rodgers was the leader again this season.)

Big T

01-12-2013, 03:26 PM

Sorry T, it just seems he has been sacked that many time in multiple seasons. I believe he has had some 40+ seasons, correct me if Im wrong. Don't really feel like looking it up atm.

I wasn't trying to prove you wrong lol. Your post just made me want to look up his sack statistics over his career. That's why I said "surprisingly" because I would've figured he'd been sacked 50+ times at least a couple years.